Biden opts for history in choice of first female admiral to head Navy and join Joint Chiefs

The White House announced the nominations Friday, with Paparo tapped as the next top commander in the Indo-Pacific, along with Vice Adm. James Kilby to be promoted to vice CNO, and Vice Adm. Stephen “Web” Koehler to take Paparo’s job as Pacific Fleet commander.

BIDEN NAVY CHIEF NOMINEE WOULD BE FIRST WOMAN ON JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF

DUELING RESUMES: “Admiral Franchetti, Admiral Paparo, Vice Admiral Kilby, and Vice Admiral Koehler represent the best of the United States Navy. Together, these four highly-decorated naval officers have extensive operational and command experience,” Austin said in a statement following the official announcement. “And I’m very proud that Admiral Franchetti has been nominated to be the first woman chief of naval operations and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where she will continue to inspire all of us.”

The two top contenders for CNO had impressive resumes. Paparo was a TOPGUN fighter jock, flying F-14s, F-18s, and even Air Force F-15s during a career in which he made over 1,100 carrier landings. He served previously as commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

Franchetti has more Pentagon experience, not just as the No. 2 officer in the Navy, but also as director for strategy, plans, and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And she has operational experience as well, having served as commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea, and commander of two aircraft carrier strike groups.

“This is an important, historic nomination for our military, national security and our entire nation,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a former Army Black Hawk pilot. “Franchetti is extraordinarily qualified and would bring extensive experience to the role if confirmed.”

“This barrier-breaking nomination … is well-deserved,” Duckworth said in a statement. “ If confirmed, her unique perspective will undoubtedly help make our military stronger.”

CHIEF VS. COMMANDER: While the chief of naval operations is the top job in the Navy, the CNO does not command any troops, aside from the office staff. Franchetti’s role as a service chief is to oversee the training and equipping of naval forces, and through the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, provide military advice to the president and the defense secretary.

Paparo, on the other hand, is a “combatant commander,” responsible for developing and implementing a strategy to deal with China and North Korea, as well as recommending weapons and capabilities needed to carry out war plans.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s area of responsibility is vast, stretching from the waters off the west coast of the U.S. to the western border of India and from Antarctica to the North Pole. There are 375,000 U.S. military and civilian personnel assigned to the command, including approximately 200 ships and 1,700 aircraft.

OPINION: BIDEN MAKES THE WRONG CHOICE FOR NEW CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS

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HAPPENING TODAY: Russia claims to have thwarted a drone attack on Moscow today by using electronic warfare to jam the guidance systems, bringing down the drones just short of their apparent targets.

One drone shattered shop windows and damaged the roof of a house just about 200 yards from the Russian Defense Ministry, while another hit an office building in southern Moscow, gutting several upper floors, according to the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, Russia continues nightly missile strikes on infrastructure and civilian targets in the port city of Odesa in what it says is retaliation for Ukraine’s attack on the Kerch Bridge linking Russia with Crimea. In a barrage of missiles over the weekend, Odesa’s historic Transfiguration Cathedral was seriously damaged.

At the Aspen Security Forum, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the bridge is a legitimate target, noting that Russia has used the 12-mile bridge to supply its troops in the south.

“This is not just a logistical route. This is the route used to feed the war with ammunition, and this has been done on a daily basis, and it militarizes the Crimean Peninsula,” he said. “For us, this is understandably an enemy facility built outside the law, outside the international laws and all applicable norms, so understandably, this is our objective. And any objective, any target that is bringing war, not peace, has to be neutralized.”

RUSSIA CONTINUES ASSAULT ON UKRAINIAN PORT CITY OF ODESA

ZELENSKY: COUNTEROFFENSIVE ABOUT TO ‘GAIN PACE’: In that video link to the Aspen conference, Zelensky blamed delays in receiving promised Western weaponry for the slow start to the counteroffensive but predicted that would soon change.

“We are approaching a moment when relevant actions can gain pace because we are already going through some mines locations, and we are demining these areas,” Zelesnky told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria.

“We did have plans to start it in spring. But we didn’t because, frankly, we had not enough munitions and armaments and not enough brigades properly trained in these weapons,” Zelensky said. “And because we started it a bit later on, it can be said and it will be shared, truth understood by all of the experts, that it provided Russia with time to mine all of our land and build several lines of defense.”

“And so, definitely, they had a bit more time than they needed,” Zelensky said, adding that he did not want to “throw people under tanks.”

“We didn’t want to lose our people, our personnel. And our servicemen didn’t want to lose equipment because of that,” he said.

ZELENSKY BLAMES WESTERN AID DELAYS FOR GIVING RUSSIA TIME TO FORTIFY

PUTIN: COUNTEROFFENSIVE: ‘SIMPLY FAILING’: The struggles of the Ukrainian military against miles of minefields and multiple belts of trenches has given heart to Russian President Vladimir Putin. At least that’s the image he projected in a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow over the weekend.

According to a Kremlin transcript of the meeting, Lukashenko delivered an upbeat assessment of how the Ukrainian counteroffensive was unable to break through Russian defenses. “According to our data, I wrote it down, more than 15 Leopards and over 20 Bradleys were destroyed in a single battle,” he told Putin. “I believe there have never been so many foreign military vehicles destroyed.”

“I suppose, so many foreign vehicles have never been destroyed in one day,” Putin agreed. “This is because units fully stocked with foreign vehicles.”

“This is evidence that this thoughtless policy of throwing unprepared people and mercenaries into the midst of a battle will lead to nothing,” said Lukashenko. “There is no counter-offensive.”

“No, there is,” said Putin. “It is simply failing.”

BLINKEN: RUSSIA HAS ‘ALREADY FAILED … ALREADY LOST’: Secretary of State Antony Blinken continues to argue that Ukraine is methodically working through Russia’s defensive lines. “I believe they have what they need to be very successful,” he told the Aspen Security Forum Friday. “And as they deploy and as they actually put into this effort all of the forces that have been trained in recent months, the equipment that we and some 50 countries have provided them, I think that will make a profound difference.”

“In terms of what Russia sought to achieve, what Putin sought to achieve, they’ve already failed. They’ve already lost,” Blinken said in an interview with CNN that aired Sunday. “They’ve already lost. The objective was to erase Ukraine from the map, to eliminate its independence, its sovereignty, to assume it into Russia. That failed a long time ago.”

“Now Ukraine is in a battle to get back more of the land that Russia seized from it. It’s already taken back about 50 percent of what was initially seized. Now they’re in a very hard fight to take back more,” Blinken said. “The Ukrainians are fighting for their land. For their future. For their country. For their freedom. I think that is the decisive element, and that’s going to play out. But it will not play out over the next week or two. We’re still looking, I think, at several months.”

ANTONY BLINKEN SAYS SENDING UKRAINE F-16 JETS WOULD TAKE ‘MONTHS AND MONTHS’

RISCH: ‘IF YOU DON’T ESCALATE, YOU LOSE.’ Among the many speakers at the Aspen Security Forum was Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“I’m tired of hearing about escalation… If you don’t escalate, you’re going to lose. I want Putin to wake up in the morning worried about what he’s going to do that’s going to cause us to escalate instead of us wringing our hands and saying ‘we can’t do that,’” Risch said during a panel discussion billed as “the view from the Hill.”

“When this started, I said give them everything that shoots other than nuclear weapons. I said give them clusters, give them the HIMARS, give them ATACMS – give them everything short of nuclear weapons.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: Ukraine could have F-16s sooner than people think

Washington Examiner: Air Force general says ‘Judeo-Christian’ roots will help the U.S. military’s ethical use of AI

Washington Examiner: Aircraft crash that killed five Marines occurred due to ‘catastrophic’ mechanical failure

Washington Examiner: Zelensky blames Western aid delays for giving Russia time to fortify

Washington Examiner: Biden invites CIA Director William Burns to join president’s Cabinet

Washington Examiner: Biden navy chief nominee would be first woman on Joint Chiefs of Staff

Washington Examiner: Russia continues assault on Ukrainian port city of Odesa

Washington Examiner: US sending more Navy ships and Marines to Middle East over Iranian threats

Washington Examiner: Australia first foreign port to tote US-commissioned Navy warship

Washington Examiner: Antony Blinken says sending Ukraine F-16 jets would take ‘months and months’

Washington Examiner: Biden DOJ suing Abbott over Texas buoy barrier in border river

Washington Examiner: Biden and Republicans face impasse over immigration reform

Washington Examiner: Opinion: Biden makes the wrong choice for new chief of naval operations

Military Times: Congress Set to Rush Through Defense Work Ahead of August Recess

AP: UN Command says it’s communicating with North Korea over detained US soldier

AP: Moscow, Crimea hit by drones as Russian forces bombard Ukraine’s south

Washington Post: US in No Hurry to Provide Ukraine with Long-Range Missiles

Defense One: How Air Mobility Command Is Prepping for Possible Conflict in the Pacific

19fortyfive.com: Is China Thinking About Building a Mach 30 Missile?

Wall Street Journal: Flying Wings, Rockets, Gliders: Air Force Envisions Its Next Cargo Workhorses

Air & Space Forces Magazine: F-16 With Three Air-to-Air Kills Flying Missions to Deter Iran

Military.com: A Mysterious Osprey Clutch Issue Caused the Deaths of 5 Marines. But V-22s Remain Flying.

AP: Cracks are emerging in Israel’s military. Reservists threaten not to serve if government plan passes

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Force Holds First-Ever Forum with Japan to Build Next Steps for Cooperation

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Reinstates PCS Moves Through September, Bonuses

Air & Space Forces Magazine: CMSAF Bass’ Top Priorities For Keeping Talented Airmen

Forbes: Next Generation Air Dominance Is A Must-Have For American Air Power—And RTX Is Uniquely Positioned To Play

Calendar

MONDAY | JULY 24

2 p.m. — Government Executive Media Group virtual discussion: “Navigating the Future of Defense Cloud SAAS (Software as a Service),” with Gregg Judge, deputy director of the Army’s Enterprise Cloud Management Office; and Jim Perkins, senior director of product management for the defense industry at Salesforce https://events.govexec.com/cloud-saas/#speakers

2:30 p.m. — National Defense Industrial Association Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Conference and Exhibit with the theme “Biodefense and Pandemic Preparedness in an Era of Persistent Conflict,” with Deborah Rosenblum, assistant defense secretary for nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs; and Ian Watson, deputy assistant defense secretary for chemical and biological defense https://www.ndia.org/events/2023/7/24/3300-cbrn

4 p.m. — Jewish Institute for National Security of America virtual discussion: “No Daylight: U.S. Strategy if Israel Attacks Iran,” with Elliott Abrams, former State Department special representative for Iran and Venezuela and member of the JINSA Iran Policy Project; retired Air Force Gen. Charles Wald, former deputy commander of U.S. European Command, co-chair of the JINSA Iran Policy Project; and Michael Makovsky, president and CEO of JINSA https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

4 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies book discussion on Korea: A New History of South and North, with co-author Ramon Pacheco Pardo, professor of international relations at King’s College London; and co-author Victor Cha, CSIS Korea chairman https://www.csis.org/events/book-launch-korea-new-history-south-north

TUESDAY | JULY 25

9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Chatham House discussion: “The Dangers of Premature Peace Plans in the Russo-Ukrainian War,” with Keir Giles, senior consulting fellow at the Chatham House Russia and Eurasia Program; and Sam Greene, director of democratic resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis https://www.csis.org/events/dangers-premature-peace-plans-russo-ukrainian-war

9 a.m. 601 13th St. NW — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress in person discussion: “Russia, Ukraine, and the Future of European Security,” with retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, former commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and senior adviser, Human Rights First; and Joshua Huminski, director, Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence and Global Affairs. RSVP: [email protected]

9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies in-person and virtual event: “The Dangers of Premature Peace Plans in the Russo-Ukrainian War,” with Keir Giles, senior consulting fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, Chatham House; Sam Greene, director, democratic resilience, Center for European Policy Analysis; Liana Fix, fellow for Europe, David Rockefeller Studies Program, Council on Foreign Relations; and moderator Max Bergmann, director, Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and Stuart Center, CSIS https://www.csis.org/events/dangers-premature-peace-plans-russo-ukrainian-war

12:30 p.m. 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Wilson Center Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition discussion: “The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework,” with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/conversation-indo-pacific

1 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “Lessons from the World War II Arsenal of Democracy,” with Mark Wilson, professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Larrie Ferriero, professor at George Mason University; Arthur Herman, Hudson senior fellow; and Miles Yu, director of the Hudson China Center https://www.hudson.org/events/lessons-world-war-ii-arsenal-democracy

2 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution in-person and virtual discussion: “Lost and broken: Reflections on mental health, health care, and the US armed forces,” with Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member, House Armed Services Committee, and moderator Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow and director, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Brookings https://www.brookings.edu/events/lost-and-broken-rep-adam-smith

2 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “National Security and Spectrum for 5G,” focusing on the implications of Chinese leadership in the field https://www.csis.org/events/national-security-and-spectrum-5g

WEDNESDAY | JULY 26

9 a.m. 216 Hart — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the nominations of Air Force Lt. Gen. Gregory Guillot to be commander of the U.S. Northern Command and commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command; and Space Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting to be commander of the U.S. Space Command https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

10 a.m. 2141 Rayburn — House Judiciary Committee hearing: “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” with testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas https://judiciary.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings

10 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual book discussion of Thanks For Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the U.S. Military, with author Peter Feaver, professor of political science and public policy at Duke University; and Katherine Kuzminski, senior fellow and program director of the CNAS Military, Veterans, and Society Program https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-book-launch

10 a.m. 2154 Rayburn — House Oversight and Accountability National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing: “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency” https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/unidentified-anomalous-phenomena

10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution discussion: “U.S.-China Proximate Military Operations in the Maritime, Air, and Space Domains,” with Josiah Case, research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses; and Robin Dickey, space policy and strategy analyst at the Aerospace Corporation https://www.brookings.edu/events/us-china

11 a.m. 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discussion with the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureates From Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia: Oleksandra Matviichuk, director of the Center for Civil Liberties; Kanstantsin Staradubets, coordinator of the Viasna Human Rights Center; and Aleksandr Cherkasov, chairman of the Russian human rights center Memorial https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/07/26/conversation

11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies’s Impossible State podcast discussion: “A Week of Detention and Deterrence on the Korean Peninsula,” with Andrew Yeo, chairman of the Brookings Institution’s Center for East Asia Policy Studies; and Victor Cha, CSIS Korea chairman https://www.csis.org/events/impossible-state-live-podcast

1 p.m. 2154 Rayburn — House Oversight and Accountability Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Subcommittee hearing: “Getting Nowhere: DoD’s Failure to Replace the Defense Travel System,” with testimony from Jeff Register, director of the Special Operations Division, Defense Human Resources Activity in the Office of the Defense Undersecretary for Personnel & Readiness; and Elizabeth Field, director of defense capabilities and management at the Government Accountability Office https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/getting-nowhere

2 p.m. 310 Cannon — House Homeland Security Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee and Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Subcommittee hearing: “The Real Cost of an Open Border: How Americans are Paying the Price” http://homeland.house.gov

2 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “Space and U.S. National Security,” with Even Rogers, CEO of True Anomaly; retired Col. Dean Bellamy, executive vice president of national security space at Redwire; Jason Kim, senior policy analyst at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Arthur Herman, Hudson senior fellow; and Peter Huessy, Hudson senior fellow https://www.hudson.org/events/space-us-national-security

4 p.m. 106 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee hearing: “Potential Budgetary Efficiencies Achieved Through Improvement To Management And Planning Processes Within Defense Department Personnel Programs,” with testimony from Michael Roark, deputy inspector general, evaluations component, Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General; David Mosher, assistant director for national security, Congressional Budget Office; and Elizabeth Field, director, Defense Capabilities and Management, Government Accountability Office https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

7 p.m. 390 Cannon — House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party hearing: “Commanding Heights: Ensuring U.S. Leadership in the Critical and Emerging Technologies of the 21st Century,” with testimony from Josh Wolfe, co-founder and managing partner, Lux Capital; William Evanina, former director, National Counterintelligence and Security Center and CEO of The Evanina Group; and Lindsay Gorman, senior fellow for emerging technologies, German Marshall Fund https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/committee

THURSDAY | JULY 27

10 a.m. HVC-210 — House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability hearing: “A Failure to Plan: Examining the Biden Administration’s Preparation for the Afghanistan Withdrawal,” with testimony from retired Col. Seth Krummrich, vice president, Global Guardian, former chief of staff, Special Operations Command Central; and Command Sgt. Maj. Jacob Smith https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/press-release

10 a.m. 14th and F Sts. NW — National Press Club Newsmaker Program with Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff https://www.press.org/events/npc-headliners-newsmaker-general-daniel-hokanson

10:30 a.m. 106 Dirksen — Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the “Defense Appropriations Act” https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings

11 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute book discussion: The Origins of Victory: How Disruptive Military Innovation Determines the Fates of Great Powers, with author Andrew Krepinevich, senior fellow at Hudson; and Timothy Walton, senior fellow at Hudson https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-origins-of-victory-tickets

12 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual discussion: “Lessons Learned from Oversight of War and Reconstruction Efforts in Afghanistan,” with Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko; Danielle Brian, executive director and president of the Project On Government Oversight; and Andrew Bacevich, co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft https://quincyinst.org/event/lessons-learned-from-oversight

1 p.m. — Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association discussion: “A Holistic and Integrated Approach to Achieving Zero Trust for the DoD,” with John Amorosi, federal CTO of CrowdStrike; Sky Hackett, senior zero trust architect at Amazon Web Services; Rich Johnson, federal senior sales engineer at Zscaler; Misae Romer, solutions engineer at Okta; and Diego Laje, senior reporter at SIGNAL Media https://www.workcast.com/register

1:30 p.m. The Center for the National Interest virtual discussion: “The U.S. Push for Saudi-Israel Normalization,” with Jonathan Lord, senior fellow and director, Middle East Security program, Center for a New American Security; Firas Maksad, senior fellow and director of strategic outreach at the Middle East Institute; and Greg Priddy, senior fellow, Middle East at the Center https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

2 p.m. 2253 Rayburn — House Transportation and Infrastructure Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee hearing: “Review of the Recapitalization of the United States Coast Guard Surface, Air, IT, and Shoreside Assets” https://transportation.house.gov/calendar

2 p.m. — National Security Institute virtual discussion: “The New Soviet Union: What Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Means for the Freedom of the Near Abroad,” with Rose Gottemoeller, former deputy secretary general of NATO; and moderator Jennifer Cafarella, NSI fellow, director of strategic initiatives at the Institute for the Study of War https://nationalsecurity.gmu.edu/the-new-soviet-union